Bone health research tends to focus on getting minerals into your bones to keep them strong.

However, keeping minerals from leaching out of your bones is no small battle. Maintaining a pH-balanced diet becomes a priority when aiming to keep minerals in your bones!

A recent study published in the June 2006 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discusses how fruits and vegetables promote and protect bone mineral content. Specifically, fruits and vegetables act as alkalizers to offset overly acidic diets, which are common in the United States and other parts of the West.

Since this article is not yet online, the Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety in the U.K. published similar results on the link between a diet rich in fruits and veggies and bone health.

Creating a “Slightly Alkaline” Environment for Optimum Health

Most folks are familiar with the 0-14 acid-base scale, but for those of you who played hooky during high school chemistry, here’s a short recap.

“Potential hydrogen” or “pH” measures free hydrogen molecules in a solution, or in this case, in the human bloodstream. A measure of “7” represents a “neutral” solution. Measurements less than 7 represent acid solutions, while any number above 7 represents an alkaline solution. Pretty simple, so far, eh?

Healthy human cells prosper in a very slightly alkaline environment (i.e., a pH between 7.35 and 7.45). The exceptions are the digestive and urinary tracts, which are slightly acidic.

Many internal mechanisms work tirelessly to balance your body’s pH levels, including your:

• Lungs -- your lungs remove carbon dioxide, which combines with water to form carbonic acid, thereby promoting an acidic system.

• Kidneys – your kidneys help manage proper pH levels by excreting excess hydrogen and retaining sodium to neutralize excess acid.

• Stomach & pancreas -- your stomach and pancreas partner to rid your body of the acid produced in digestion.

• Cells -- every single cell in your body monitors and corrects its own pH. Cell membrane pumps ingest and expel hydrogen as necessary for their own activities.

Alas, cells need plenty of magnesium and phosphorus to expel hydrogen. You see, cells are smart and don’t want acidic compounds contaminating their terrain. So they send hydrogen on its merry way into the bloodstream, ultimately to be excreted.

However, if magnesium and phosphorus are in short supply, cells must tap your old bones for a fix.

Sigh. Your poor old bones may also get tapped for calcium and magnesium to neutralize excess acid in your system.

If your system is persistently acidic, your bones suffer when precious minerals are consistently being leached out.

Remove Acid Foods, Add Minerals

So, you wanna alkalize your system? Fruits and veggies to the rescue (yet again).

Yep, replace some of those acidic foods, such as sugar, starch, grains, animal proteins, fats, alcohol, and coffee and you’re on your way.

Other acidifying agents, by the way, include the chemicals in most prescriptions and tobacco.

In addition to eliminating acid-producing foods, it’s also important to ensure adequate supplies of the right minerals for all the pH-balancing acts going on in your body. Think calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

In addition to the right minerals, B vitamins are critical to ensure proper oxidation of carbohydrates and fats, without which acid can accumulate in your body.

Fast Fact: It’s interesting that certain foods, while acid in their natural state, such as citrus fruits, are classified as alkalizers because, after digestion, their by-products act to neutralize acidity in your body! In fact, lemons and watermelon are considered highly alkaline for your system!

So, fair members, if you ever needed more reasons to eat more fruits and veggies, trust me, they’ll keep coming.

Meanwhile, as a refresher on the Co-op’s bone-friendly vitamins and minerals, check out:

Calcium Citrate with vitamin D

Magnesium Citrate

Liquid Calcium with Magnesium 

B-50 Complex

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